# What profit does a man gain from all the work and from the striving of heart that he labors at under the sun?

The author uses a rhetorical question to cause the reader to think deeply about important things. Translate "what profit does a man gain from all the work" as you did in [Ecclesiastes 1:3](../01/03.md). Alternate translation: "A man seems to gain no lasting benefit from all the work and from the striving of heart that he labors at under the sun." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# from all the work and from the striving of heart

These two phrases mean basically the same thing and emphasize how hard the person works. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# the striving of heart

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "trying anxiously" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])

# under the sun

This refers to things that are done on earth. See how you translated this in [Ecclesiastes 1:3](../01/03.md). Alternate translation: "on the earth" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])